The Little Mermaid
by HeartsXshadow
Summary: "That was why I always loved The Little Mermaid. Her story was so much more relatable-She didn't get the prince or have the conventional "happily ever after". Edward/Jacob, Two-shot AU
1. PART I

_The Little Mermaid_

_Author: HeartsXShadow_

_Rating: T  
>Genre: RomanceAngst_

_Summary: "That was why I always loved The Little Mermaid. Her story was so much more relatable-She didn't get the prince or have the conventional "happily ever after"-instead, she gave up her voice and forsaken her kindred, and suffered unimaginable pain daily…and even that didn't get her Prince Charming. TWO-SHOT, AU._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Hans Christian Andersons "The Little Mermaid", Nor do I own Twilight. I'm not making money off of this either, people. Calm down._

_Pairings: Edward/Jacob, Jacob/Bella_

_Warnings: Slash, obviously. Don't like it? The back button is located at the top left side of the screen. Everyone else: Thank you for choosing HeartsXShadow, I hope you have a pleasant trip._

_Written in Edward's POV_

_**PART I**_

_"Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above."_

No line in any novel could compare to the opening sentence of _The Little Mermaid. _It drew me in from the very moment that I could understand words, and since then has been my favorite story of all time. I suppose it would seem strange that a seventeen year old guy would be interested in such a story-but I was(am). It stemmed from my intense passion from the sea; no other fairy tale included the descriptions that _The Little Mermaid _did. What else could I do but fall in love with it? As a child, though, I couldn't process the great tragedy of the story, and if I did it probably wouldn't have been an all-time-favorite.

But now I do…and I must admit that her tragic love only intensifies my deep interest in the story. And that was why I always loved The Little Mermaid: Her story was so much more relatable-She didn't get the prince or have the conventional "happily ever after"-instead, she gave up her voice and forsaken her kindred, and suffered unimaginable pain daily…and even that didn't get her _Prince Charming_.

"_The little mermaid swam close to the cabin windows; and now and then, as the waves lifted her up, she could look in through clear glass window-panes, and see a number of well-dressed people within. Among them was a young prince, the most beautiful of all, with large black eyes; he was sixteen years of age, and his birthday was being kept with much rejoicing...The ship itself was so brightly illuminated that all the people, and even the smallest rope, could be distinctly and plainly seen. And how handsome the young prince looked, as he pressed the hands of all present and smiled at them, while the music resounded through the clear night air."_

His perfectly tanned skin and flawless smile certainly attributed to my initial attraction for him. I was hopelessly in love with him from the moment I met him. I could never forget the day that I first met him, nor would I ever hope to. I suppose that makes me something of a masochist, but I can live with that; I've been called worse. Fate had been so cruel to guide me to someone I could never dream to have.

_/Flashback/_

_The Sun was a rare phenomenon in Forks. In fact, if it hadn't decided show it's rays, I was sure it was a myth. But here it was, blinding and yellow, warming the tiny town on a Saturday. And of course, the Fates would have me sick on such a beautiful day. I glared out my window as two birds flew by, twirling around one another. What gave them the right to enjoy such a day? I rolled my eyes at my own pettiness. Was I really going to let a few birds stir jealousy within me?_

_Yes. Yes I was. So I continued to stare at the two birds as they flew off into a tree, nestling themselves into a cozy bed of twigs and dry leaves. Together. A pair. An item. Another sad reason to be jealous of the birds. A coughing fit overwhelmed me and I miserably resumed my laying position on my bed. _Isn't this lovely? _I thought dryly, staring at the ceiling. _A nice- no, perfect - day, and of course I just had to be sick. Alice and Emmett must be enjoying the sun…maybe they're at the beach? _Of course, they had made plans with their significant others-Jasper and Rosalie respectively-and were out of the house. I was sure that even Carlisle and Esme had gone out to do something. Leaving me alone. Always alone._

_I frowned at the thought. I hated being so petty; but then again, one couldn't help what they felt. I shut my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Being cooped up in the house, all alone and sick, on a sunny day was doing nothing to improve my mood. So, despite my better judgment, I put on a pair of jeans and a V-neck shirt, took a few Tylenol and journeyed out of my house and through the woods, a bottle of Orange Juice in hand. I squinted against the rays of light that penetrated the protective barrier the trees had formed. I hadn't anticipated that it would be so…bright. Or that it would've have been so hot. And I definitely didn't anticipate there being a steep hill for me to slide down. With a sickening crunch, my ankle gave out and I tumbled down the mountain of dead leaves and dirt until I came to a crumpling stop._

_"Ouch…" I moaned, lying face down in the mud. I slowly pushed myself to an upright position and gently examined my (what I had believed to be) broken ankle and grimaced. It wasn't too badly mangled, but it wasn't something I could walk on, especially considering my weakened state. I reached into my pocket and was surprised to find that my cell phone wasn't there._

_"I must've left it at the house…" I mumbled to myself, sighing in defeat. "Meaning that I have to wait for them to realize that I'm not home…and that I need help." I pursed my lips. "Fantastic." I dragged myself to the nearest tree and leaned against it, my breaths coming out in heavy pants. _I wonder if a wolf will come by and eat me? _I thought sarcastically. I could feel my fever coming back and groaned. The day would only get worse, I just knew it._

_And it did. I suppose the sun had been out to get revenge on my doubt for its existence, for just a few minutes later it retreated behind the safety of the Forks clouds. And the clouds must have found it funny too, as they began to laugh so hard that thunder boomed off in the distance and lightening flashed: and, of course, the rain poured steadily down. In a matter of seconds I was soaking wet. _This is what I get for being petty. _I wrapped my arms around myself in a futile attempt to keep myself warm as another cough escaped my lips. _It's okay, I had a good life. _I reasoned. Can't really complain…_

_And just as I was about to give up hope, _he _came. He was tanned- obviously a Quileute boy- and had short black hair. He had his hands in the pockets of his black hoodie, a white tank top underneath it. Clad in faded blue jeans…well, he was something out of a fairy tale. His eyes widened and he came to a stop when he realized I was there, and I briefly wondered if he had noticed that I had been…well, checking him out. I looked up at him and met his beautiful brown eyes, and my heart stopped. I had never been one to believe in love at first sight…but this was something I couldn't deny. He shifted his gaze around before he finally broke the silence._

_"Um…hey. Are you alright?" He asked awkwardly._

_"N-no." I coughed out. "I'm sick, and I…decided to go for a walk in the woods. I slipped down that hill-" I gestured to the one behind him. "- and broke my ankle." I finished quietly._

_He relaxed and smiled. "Ah, okay. Sorry, I kinda thought you were a…hobo." He grinned sheepishly. Only then did I realize that I must've looked God-awful. How good could you look if you slipped down a muddy hill sick? "I mean, that wouldn't have been funny, and your situation isn't funny either-but-" He ran his hand through his wet hair. "Never mind, I'll shut up now. I'm guessing you need help?"_

_I nodded meekly. "Y-yeah. That would be nice." He smiled at me, and I hesitantly smiled back as he approached me. He put my arm around his shoulder and helped me up._

_"Can you walk on it?" He asked. I put a little weight on it and immediately regret it. I let out a cry of pain almost fell forward, but he caught me. "I guess not." He mumbled. He let me down on the ground as he shrugged off his jacket and gave it to me. "The rain won't make you any better." He teased. I rolled my eyes but put the jacket on anyway. "Do you think you can climb on my back?" I nodded and waited for him to turn around and carefully placed myself on him. Once on, he shifted my weight until he was comfortable and began to trudge on the muddy trail._

_"I didn't catch your name." I whispered._

_"Hmm? Oh, I'm Jacob. And you would be…?" He replied._

_"Edward. My name is Edward."_

_"So, Edward, what were you doing wandering the woods while sick? Don't you know that werewolves and vampires roam Forks?" He asked sarcastically._

_I laughed. "Those silly legends? You believe them?"_

_"Nah, I just thought it would be an interesting ice breaker. Still, you should answer my question."_

_"To think and to enjoy the sun while it was out. Which was a bad idea, I guess. What were you doing?" I asked in return.._

_"Me? I was walking around, looking for my next victim. After all, I'm a serial rapist." He answered sarcastically. "Everyone knows only retarded babes walk in the woods alone."_

_"Are you calling me retarded?"_

_"So, you're a babe?"_

_I laughed again. Something I hadn't done in a while. "No, sorry to disappoint you. And if you are a rapist, then you're the kindest I know, to take me to safety."_

_"Maybe I'm Bi. Everyone knows that only retarded babes and sick boys wander around the woods alone." He laughed, unaware of how dangerous jokes like that could be around me._

_"I see."_

_"Aw, come on Eddie. You know that I'm joking."_

_"A nickname already?" I asked incredulously. "Am I that important to you?"_

_"Maybe." He shifted my weight once again and a silence blanketed us._

_"You're not cold?" I ventured softly. "Even with all the rain and my being wet-ness?"_

_"Edward, you naughty boy." He teased, and I blushed. "But to answer your question, no, I'm not. I've always had a warmer temperature than everyone else. I guess you could say I was born hot."_

_"Aren't we clever? Well, I suppose we're opposites: I'm always cold." I said quietly. "I don't mean to be rude-I really don't. But…I don't think I can stay awake any longer. You wouldn't mind if I took a little nap, would you?" I asked, resting my head against his back._

_"…Nah. Get rest, you need it." He turned his head and smiled at me. "Sleep nice, Eddie."_

_**/\\**_

_I had awoken in a hospital bed with my mother, Esme beside me. She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, Edward! Don't give us such a scare!" She rushed to embrace me. "If it hadn't been for that nice young man…" She smiled._

_"Where is he?" I asked quickly, pushing myself up._

_"Hmm? He left, dear. Almost an hour ago…you've been out for a while. And he couldn't just wait around for you to regain consciousness." She laughed._

_"Right…" I trailed off and leaned back in the bed. _He must've been happy to get rid of me…

_"Oh, that reminds me." She reached onto the table and picked up a note. "He told me to give this to you." I greedily snatched it from her grasp and read it:_

_'Haha. Looks like you're not gonna get up for me, huh "Sleeping Beauty"? Well, I'll be seeing you at your school, I'm transferring there in a few days, so you can praise me for your rescue then! Nah, but get better so we can hang out!_

_-Jacob_

_P.S You can keep the jacket if you'd like._

_/End Flashback/_

I don't know how many times I read the letter that night, and I never wanted to stop. I kept it tucked in a drawer next to my bed when I got home, and when I was better enough to crutch my way to school, he and I did become better acquainted with each other. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. A year later and I was completely healed and we were the closest of friends. How could something so beautiful be so…wrong?

_At one moment it was so pitch dark that she could not see a single object, but a flash of lightning revealed the whole scene; she could see every one who had been on board excepting the prince; when the ship parted, she had seen him sink into the deep waves, and she was glad, for she thought he would now be with her; and then she remembered that human beings could not live in the water, so that when he got down to her father's palace he would be quite dead. But he must not die. So she swam about among the beams and planks which strewed the surface of the sea, forgetting that they could crush her to pieces. Then she dived deeply under the dark waters, rising and falling with the waves, till at length she managed to reach the young prince, who was fast losing the power of swimming in that stormy sea. His limbs were failing him, his beautiful eyes were closed, and he would have died had not the little mermaid come to his assistance. She held his head above the water, and let the waves drift them where they would._

_I'll get him hot, show him what I got_

_I'll get him hot, show him what I got_

_Can't read my, can't read my,_

_No he can't read my poker face_

I groggily reached for my phone, glancing at the time. _2:20_...My eye twitched. I didn't care if it was Jacob who was calling, two was such an ungodly hour. Knowing that I would regret it if I didn't answer the call now, I hastily pressed the accept button.

"Hello?" I croaked. "Jacob…do you know what time it is?"

"Eeedwwwaaarrd!" He moaned into the phone, laughing hysterically immediately after. "Eddie, I'm drunk…"

I bit my lip. Drinking was so gross, especially when it was underage binge drinking. But this was Edward…there were always exceptions for him. "Yes…I can tell."

"Aw, you're mad at me now, aren't ya?" He asked guiltily. "I'm sorry Eddie…I couldn't help it!"

"Yeah…" I mumbled awkwardly. "So, any particular reason you called? Or was this a random drunk one?"

"Well…you might be able to help me. Y'see…I'm kinda stranded. I'm off on the cliffs, drunk and alone…can't go home like this, too dangerous to drive or walk to a friends…" He trailed off, and I briefly wondered if he had passed out.

"Jacob?" I asked softly.

"Why don't you come down and spend the night with him here by the sea? It's so nice out tonight…"

His question startled me. His tone and implications…well, I knew that I was getting my hopes up. It always was too good to be true. But…it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, right? "The cliffs…where you usually go?" I asked hesitantly.

"Mmmm."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, Jacob." I promised.

"Thanks, Ed. You're fucking awesome." He slurred into the phone, and I knew he had his trademark grin plastered on his face. I rolled my eyes at the thought.

"I know I am." I replied, quietly removing the covers off of me and ending the call. My parents wouldn't allow me to leave at such an hour; there was no point in waking them and asking them. I had to be stealthy and sneak out of the house (something I never had done before), so I was thankful that my parents were both heavy sleepers, and that my silver Volvo made no sounds when it started. The adrenaline pumped through my veins as I quickly backed out of my driveway and sped off towards the cliffs.

**/\\**

Thirty minutes later I found myself walking the familiar dirt path that lead to the sea. I could hear the waves crashing, and I was thankful that I remembered to grab a jacket-_his _jacket. I clutched it closer over my body as a cold wind blew past. _It's so cold out…why would he be out drinking alone? _I shook my head and continued down the long path until I could feel the salty spray glide past my body. I shivered and came to a stop as I looked down at his sleeping form. The pale moonlight illuminated every inch of him so perfectly, from that sexy jaw line to the curve of his shoe. His breaths were soft and even; I didn't want to disturb him. Suddenly, his bloodshot eyes opened, and a lopsided grin graced his features.

"Eddie! H-how are ya'?" He slurred. "Get over here!" He clumsily got to his feet, swaying and almost falling multiple times. I quickly ran over to him and held him steady. "Thanks, buddy."

"Mm." I nodded and lead him to my car. "Come on, Jacob. Let's get you home."

He shook his head violently. "N-no! My dad can't see me like this! Please, please…let me stay at your house?" He nuzzled his nose into my neck, and I tensed. "Come on, Edward…"

"Jacob…I can't take you to my house drunk, either. My parents wouldn't be okay with that…" I trailed off as he continued to nuzzle me.

"But Edward…you can't leave me alone li-like this!" He hiccupped. "C'm on…I need ya." I bit my lip. It would be so wrong to do this. And yet, I knew I wouldn't be able to tell him no. Finally, I gave into temptation. "Alright. I'll stay with you…we can camp out in my Volvo tonight." He grinned and pulled me close. I hadn't noticed the alcohol before…but the stench was disgusting. "What were you doing drinking alone, Jacob?"

"I wasn't alone. Quil and Embry were here, too…" He pouted. "But they left a few hours ago…"

"You still didn't answer my question." I chided, panting. He was much bigger than me, and his weight was starting to have its toll on me, even if we had only taken a few feet's worth of steps. _I'm outta shape…_"Why were you drinking?"

" 'Cause, I was thinking." He began. "Thinking about…you an' me."

My heart stopped, but I continued to my car. "Oh? And what were you thinking…?" I tried not to get my hopes up. I really did. But then again, what straight guy began a conversation with another guy like that?_A drunk one…_My mind hissed, but I pushed that thought away.

" 'Bout those fucking rumors…the ones about me and you being gay." His eyes narrowed; my heart broke. "Fucking idiots…I mean, you're not that way, and I'm not that way…where the fuck did they get that idea?"

"I don't know." I replied quietly. "Maybe it's because we spend a lot of time together."

"Pssh. I mean, I love you, Edward, I really do." I could feel my heart beating erratically against my chest, but I tried not to let it go to my head. "I fucking love the time we spend together, you're fucking awesome. But…not _that _way. Ya know?" He laughed.

"Yeah, I know. But, if you don't want people spreading rumors about us being gay together, maybe you should be shouting that you love me."

"…Maybe. But…I'm drunk. I don't give a damn!" He shouted. "So…do you love me?"

The question kept me grounded. I stopped in my tracks, genuine fear taking over my body. "W-what?" I stammered.

"Do you love me?" He paused in between each word.

"Yeah. As much as another guy can love another guy." I replied quietly.

"That would make you gay." He pointed out, laughing.

"That's why you were the one rubbing your face against my neck a few minutes ago, right?" I mumbled, blinking back the tears.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing." I unlocked my car and walked him over to the passenger's seat. "Quil or Embry can't take you in for the night? Sam can't? Leah?" I asked irritably.

"What's up your ass?"

"I can't be irritated that my friend called me here in the dead of the night to take care of his drunk ass?" I spat.

"That's not it. C'm on, Edward. I may be fucking drunk as hell, but I know you better than that."

"Never mind. It's nothing."

"…Seriously, Ed. What's wrong?" He asked. "Did you not know about the rumors? Sorry, I thought you did…"

I rolled my eyes. Who _didn't _know about the rumor? "I'm not upset about that, okay? Just drop it already." An uncomfortable silence spread between the pair of us.

"Mm…you can drop me off at Sam's house if you're mad at me, he won't mind." He replied. "Fuck, I'm sorry."

I sighed. "…No, it's fine. It's not your fault…" I opened the door and deposited him in the seat. _Don't overreact, Edward. You knew that he wasn't interested in you. _I sighed and walked to the drivers seat. "I mean, we both know that the rumor isn't true. Come on, we both know that you could do better than me."

"Nah…you're fucking awesome, remember? If I was gay, I'd go for you." He grinned. "Was that what you were mad about? You were offended 'cause you thought that I thought I could do better than you if I was that way? You're conceited!" He laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "You're drunk. And I'm gonna hold what you just said over you for the rest of your life."

"Then tell me…why were you so mad?"

"Well…I don't know. Why were you so upset about the rumor that you had to drink?" I asked quietly.

"…I don't want people making fun of you, or making your life hard 'cause they think you're gay. Nothing's wrong with being that way…I know, but you get beat up for it. And I don't want you getting hurt because of me. I mean…people won't say shit to my face, or even try to fight with me. They know I'll fucking kill them. But you…"

"I'm weak, and need a big, strong man to protect me?" I asked dryly.

"I just don't want you hurt." He leaned over and stared into my eyes.

"People wouldn't make fun of me…I mean, if they thought that I was with you, anyway. They're afraid of you, remember?" I asked coyly.

He let out a laugh. "I guess you're right…but I was really worried. I hear them talking about all the shit they wanna do to you in the halls." Now that caught my attention. "For the past few weeks, anyway. So, that's why I needed a drink…to calm down. I wasn't even supposed to tell you…I promised myself I wouldn't make you worry."

"Jacob…please don't worry about me. As long as I have you as a friend…I'll be fine. Besides, I can take care of myself. You don't need to protect me."

"…Yeah, I do." He looked at me seriously. "They…what they wanna do to you…makes me fucking sick."

"And you won't tell me, because you're protecting me. Right?"

"Mmhmm." He replied stubbornly. "I'm always gonna protect you, because you're always gonna take care of me." The last part caught me off guard. I didn't know how to reply to that.

"Of course, Jacob." I mumbled. In a few seconds, I could hear his snores. He was out cold. "I'll always be by your side…because I love you." I sighed and rolled over, pulling his jacket closer to my body. It was weird. He acknowledged that our relationship wasn't a normal friendship…not a relationship- just a little short of being that-but something. It was confusing. Then again, I could just be getting my hopes up again.

Sure, I couldn't have him…but I would never stop loving him.

_She did not wait long before she saw a young girl approach the spot where he lay. She seemed frightened at first, but only for a moment; then she fetched a number of people, and the mermaid saw that the prince came to life again, and smiled upon those who stood round him. But to her he sent no smile; he knew not that she had saved him. This made her very unhappy, and when he was led away into the great building, she dived down sorrowfully into the water, and returned to her father's castle. She had always been silent and thoughtful, and now she was more so than ever._

In the weeks that followed, Jacob…ignored me. Maybe he was uncomfortable with the things said. Maybe I wasn't supposed to hear it…All I could do was speculate. I was too afraid to text him, or message him. If he needed space, that was exactly what I would give him. No matter how much I worried, no matter how much I yearned to hear his voice, I avoided him like the plague. What was even stranger was that everyone seemed to be avoiding me, too.

_I guess he's protecting me…_I thought to myself as I walked down the hall alone. _And yet, I feel their eyes trained on me_. _I wonder why that could be? _I shrugged my bag to a more comfortable position on my back. _I really don't like it._ I could hear the students whisper as I walked by. And as hard as I tried to hear their words, all I got were "_Poor Edward…"_, _"I wonder if he knows?"_, and _"I didn't know Jacob could be so mean!"_. None of it made any sense. Why was everyone making a big deal? I mean, sure, we were usually always together…and for the past two weeks we weren't. But did that mean that everyone needed to make a big deal over it? _Maybe they think we've broken up. _I thought half amused. _And with the way he's been acting, I would think the same way. _I shook my head and pushed those thoughts aside. Once again, I was overreacting. _He just needs space._

I smiled when I saw Rosalie approach me, but it quickly faded. With the way she was striding towards me, scowl firmly in place, I knew something was wrong. _Did Emmett do something stupid again?_ I rushed to meet her half way. _Maybe she isn't even trying to meet me, though. It could be that she's in a bad mood, and—_

"Edward. We need to talk. _Now._" She growled, pulling me across a few hall ways into an empty classroom. She crossed her delicate arms over her chest and sighed. "You must be wondering why Jacob has been avoiding you."

I paled slightly, and an overwhelming feeling of dread overtook me. "Yeah…" I could feel sweat bead down my neck, and gather in my palms. I don't recall ever being so afraid. "I mean…" I stopped mid sentence. _What do I mean?_

She sighed and looked at me sympathetically. "Well, Edward…the _main _rumor is that Jacob dumped you for a girl." She began. "Of course, I knew better than that…I know that you guys were never together. But I have noticed that he's nowhere near you. So I did a little digging around" She paused. "And the reason is Bella Swan."

I felt a sharp pang pierce my heart. _Bella Swan…the new girl from Arizona? _"I see…" I swallowed the lump in my throat. "He has a girlfriend…and that's why he's been avoiding me?" I laughed, but it sounded so foreign, so fake. "And here I thought he was mad at me."

"I know how you feel about him, Edward." Rosalie said quietly, and that effectively cut off my rambling. "The others may be oblivious, but I'm not."

"…That doesn't change anything." I replied, just as quiet. "He's still with her."

"Well, I could change that."

"Don't, Rose."

"You know I wouldn't…unless you wanted me to." She flipped a lock of golden hair off of her shoulder. "I don't think it's going to last long. I mean…she isn't that attractive, and she lacks personality. I think he's only dating her to kill the rumors. Why he'd settle for her is beyond me."

"You don't need to make fun of her to make me feel better." I laughed sadly. "If he really wants to be with her…if he's genuinely interested, then I'm happy for him."

"And what if he's doing it just because he wants the rumors to stop?"

"I can't make him _not _date her." I replied.

"Edward, you need to tell him how this makes you feel. You can't pretend that everything's okay. Look at you! You've been alone in school for the past two weeks because of him! What kind of man doesn't even have the decency to tell his friend that he's seeing someone?"

"Stop it."

"No." She growled. "You're going to let him walk all over you…to salvage a friendship that-"

"Shut up!" I shouted. "Just shut up Rosalie. You don't know what he's like. You don't know his true motives. You're buying into rumors that don't have much fact behind it. And you expect me to do the same."

"Edward-"

"You question his friendship-what he feels towards me. Well, what kind of friend would I be if I left him now?" I whispered. "Even if it's true…all of it, I don't care. He's too important to me. I can't leave him."

She sighed in defeat. "Edward…" She bit her lip, and seemed to think better of what she was going to say next. "You're going to have to tell him how you feel sooner or later…about everything."

"I don't need to do anything I don't want to." I shot back.

"I'm just trying to help, Ed. And who knows, maybe he does like you. Maybe he's just waiting for you to tell him first." She said evenly. "But, you'll never know unless you ask." With that said she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving me alone in the cold classroom.

_I'll talk to him. Today…maybe I won't tell him how I feel, but I will get to the bottom of this. I need to know the truth…is he dating her?_

**/\\**

I waited outside on a bench. There was a light drizzle, and it didn't help that the winds were swirling all around me. But the coldness outside was nothing compared to the ice that seemed to be building up inside of me. I was upset with Jacob. Why wouldn't he just tell me that he was seeing Bella? Why had he been avoiding me? Questions swirled around in my brain, but I couldn't draw any conclusions. So, I did all I could do: wait. He replied to my text rather quickly with an "alright." Like he couldn't be troubled to come and see me after school. _You're being petty again, quit it. _I scolded myself. _There could be a perfectly valid reason for his actions. _I really did hate that I loved Jacob so much that he could get away with anything. _Five minutes late already._

I looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. There he was, just as handsome as ever. My breath was caught in my throat when he stopped in front of me, his arms crossed over his chest. He kept a blank face; I couldn't know what he was thinking. We stayed like that for a few minutes in that dreadfully uncomfortable silence until I finally gathered the courage to speak to him.

"H-hey, Jacob." I stammered, keeping my gaze focused at the ground. _Oh God, what am I doing?_

"Edward." He nodded in response. His voice was so cold, so distant. "What did you want?"

I felt my heart breaking. _What did I do to you? _What had I done wrong? If my memory recalled correctly, he was the one who came onto me when he was drunk. But of course, I didn't dare to say this to him. I could never find it in me to be so cruel to him, to speak my mind. SO instead, I opted for my former question. "I just-Jacob, what did I do to…make you hate me?"

His stare was just as blank as ever. I could tell that he was formulating an excuse-a lie, most likely. Whatever was the cause behind his actions, he definitely wasn't going to tell me. "I don't hate you, Edward. I'm just spending time with my girlfriend."

"…You didn't even tell me that you were dating." I replied softly.

"I don't have any commitment to you. You're not my keeper; you don't need to know what's going every fucking minute of my life." He growled. His tone caught me off guard and I was rendered speechless. "Maybe I was tired of the rumors, so I decided to do something about it. Why don't you?"

I felt the tears building up in my eyes. _Of course…the rumors. That's why he hates me. _I took a deep breath, contemplating whether I should reply or not. _What can I even say to that? _"Oh." Escaped my lips. "I see. Then I'm sorry to have bothered you."

His eyes narrowed at me. "Whatever." He turned on heel and walked off towards Bella who had been standing at the school entrance. _How didn't I notice her? _Come to think of it, there was a small crowd surrounding us. _Maybe that's what he was worried about? _I couldn't bear to meet any of their gazes; instead I opted to keep my stare at the ground. And it was there that I noticed a small, folded piece of paper on the ground with my name on it. I bent over to pick it up. After all, it had Jacob's handwriting. _Do I even want to read it? _I thought miserably, opening the paper anyway.

_Edward._

_Trust me; there is a reason for the way I'm acting. Can't tell you here, please understand…I'll pick you up at 8. Again, I'm so sorry._

_-Jake_

I eyed the paper skeptically. _And, being the desperate fool I am, I'm going to agree to this. _I sighed heavily. While it did make me feel better that he wasn't truly mad and disgusted with me, it hurt me so much that he was going to abandon me because of a few rumors. _I swear, if I wasn't so in love with him…I wouldn't tolerate this._ I laughed quietly at the thought. _But I do…_another thought crossed my mind, a thought that I truly didn't want to acknowledge.

Was Rosalie right about Jacob?

**/\\**

Just as he promised, he arrived at my door at exactly 8:00. It was a little surprising that he was on time: Jacob had a habit of running late by at least half an hour. He had parked his worn out Rabbit in my garage and I stared at him incredulously.

"We're going to ride that?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

He shook his head. "If you don't mind, I thought we could take a walk…you know, with gas prices being what they are these days." He trailed off.

"Alright. Let me get a jacket." I replied, closing the door behind me. I jogged up the stairs to my room and searched my closet for a suitable jacket. I was tempted to use the black hoodie he had given me, but restrained myself. I had to be strong, so instead I used my new Fox jacket. I ran back down the stairs and out the door, half hoping that he thought I had ditched him and left. Unfortunately (Or, rather, fortunately) he was still there, sitting on my doorstep.

"…You're not using the one I gave you?"

"No." I replied coldly, closing the door behind me. I walked ahead of him and kept my pace brisk as we entered the looming darkness.

"Edward, can you please slow down? You of all people should know that walking in the woods can be dangerous." He jogged ahead of me and stood in my way. "Please, I don't want you to get hurt."

"A little late for that." I growled. "Why couldn't you reply to my texts? Or messages, or talk to me in person? Do I really disgust you that much?"

"Edward, it's not you—"

"Then what is it? What was I supposed to think? You couldn't even tell me that you were dating Bella…" I turned away from him. "What was I supposed to think?" I repeated.

I heard him sigh behind me. "Edward, you have no idea how sorry I am. Really, I am. I mean, I thought I was helping you by avoiding you—I really don't want you bullied over this."

"I was never 'bullied' about it, Jacob. Hell, you still refuse to tell me what everyone wants to do me because they think I'm gay! Tell me, how am I supposed to defend myself if I don't know what to expect?" I yelled.

"…You can't know." He said quietly. "Trust me. I'm taking care of it."

"Trust you." I laughed. "Jacob-" He pushed me against the nearest tree, pinning my arms over my head. "A few of the guys wanna do this to you. They want to show you just how "wrong" gay is…by being hypocrites and fucking the shit out of you." He leaned close to me; I could feel his hot breath on my neck.

I turned my head to the side. "How does your lack of presence make me "straight"? I mean, I am…" I quickly added. "But I fail to see the logic of you leaving me alone and getting yourself a girlfriend when I myself lack one. It makes you the straight one, and me the broken hearted gay."

"Edward, we both know you can get a girl easily." He was still keeping me pinned against the tree. It was so hard not to be aroused. "Even if it's a lie…just do it."

"Is that what Bella is? A lie?" I struggled against him.

He didn't answer right away, and in the silence I allowed to enjoy being so close to him. I could feel ever muscle pressed against my body, feel the blood pumping through his veins, and his heart beating. His scent was so intoxicating-musky and slightly earthly, mixed with his signature body spray. It was overwhelming to be so close to him; my reasons for being mad at him were quickly evaporating. He sighed against my ear, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"No, she's not." He finally replied. "She's…it's complicated. But please…know that she could never mean more to me than you."

I gave in and relaxed in his grip. "Alright." I breathed out, and he seemed to relax as well. "Okay, I trust you. I'm sorry for-"

"Don't be. I'm the one who should be apologizing. Do you forgive me?" He asked softly.

"…You know that I always will." I replied just as quietly.

"Bear with this for just a little while more, okay? Just until everything has died down." He pulled me into an embrace. "Thank you Edward, for understanding."

I hesitantly hugged him back, nodding in his chest. _And as long as I love him…I'm defenseless against his charm. Damn you, for making me love you._

"_If human beings are not drowned," asked the little mermaid, "can they live forever? do they never die as we do here in the sea?"_

"_Yes," replied the old lady, "they must also die, and their term of life is even shorter than ours. We sometimes live to three hundred years, but when we cease to exist here we only become the foam on the surface of the water, and we have not even a grave down here of those we love. We have not immortal souls, we shall never live again; but, like the green sea-weed, when once it has been cut off, we can never flourish more. Human beings, on the contrary, have a soul which lives forever, lives after the body has been turned to dust. It rises up through the clear, pure air beyond the glittering stars. As we rise out of the water, and behold all the land of the earth, so do they rise to unknown and glorious regions which we shall never see."_

The next few weeks passed in a blur. I kept on with my life, and so did he. We didn't speak, and for the most part ignored each other's existence. In school, that is. Outside of school we met in private to finish school work or to just hang out. Things were back to normal…somewhat. Yes, it irked me to see Bella cling meekly to his arm, Or to see him whisper in her ear, and hear her irritating giggle in response. But I pretended not to notice. For him I'd do anything, no matter how much it hurt me. There were still the occasional whisper behind my back—I was still the tragic, left behind lover according to many. But I always kept walking; I never turned around to face them. I knew that Jacob and I didn't break up (Well, we weren't in a relationship to begin with…), and I knew that he didn't hate me. And that was enough for me. For Rosalie? Not a chance in hell.

"Edward, you're an idiot." She hissed, pulling me into yet another classroom. Ever since Jacob had begun dating Bella, she had made this into a daily routine. "And don't you dare sigh at me. He's a total tool, he's _using _you."

"How is he using me?" I asked tiredly. _I swear, we've had this conversation at least a million times…_

"He's taking advantage of your devotion to him. He doesn't—" She stopped mid sentence and glared, her lips turning down into a ferocious frown. "What do _you _want?"

I turned around and was surprised to see Bellastanding in the doorway. She bit her lip (A habit she seemed to have when she was nervous), and tugged with one of the curly locks of brown hair that hung past her shoulder. She hesitantly looked up before her eyes darted away. _How could something this skittish be Jacob's type?_ I pushed that thought aside and offered her a smile.

"Oh, hello Bella." I smile warmly, though I know the contempt in my heart for her must be evident in my eyes. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. Jacob didn't come to school today-" I saw Rosalie roll her eyes at that. "And he isn't answering any of my calls or texts…I know that you're close with him. Do you think you could stop by his house and check up on him for me?" She asked quickly, the fear of being so close to Rosalie must have been getting to her. "I'm just worried…"

"Of course. I'll visit him right after school, alright?" She quickly nodded before darting out of the classroom, similar to a fish shooting through the waves. _I really don't see how Jacob is attracted to her. _I pursed my lips together.

"Poor thing! Her boyfriend isn't talking to her." Rosalie laughed. "Isn't she clingy?"

"Rosalie, what if it's serious? What if…I don't know, what if something did happen to him?" I turned to her. "Do you think that you could take me to his house now?"

"Now? In the middle of the school day? Is straight laced Edward _ditching_?" She asked, amused. "For Jacob Black? The guy you don't love?"

I glared at her. "Now's not the time for games, Rose. Please…"

She rolled her eye. "You didn't drive today?"

I shook my head. "No, Alice took me."

"You're not going to take any answer other than a 'yes', right?"

"You know me too well." She rolled her eyes in response and took her keys out of her purse.

"Alright then. What are we waiting for?"

The ride to Jacob's was an awkward one. Rosalie kept her eyes focused on the road, fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. She was obviously angry over my eagerness to see him. Every so often I would hear her mumble under her breath and see her eyes narrow in (what was probably) disgust. I rolled my eyes and stared out of the window. I was grateful that she was taking to see Jacob…but did she really need to be so much of a-

"Edward." My train of thought had been disrupted, and I turned to look at her.

"Yes?"

"…Never mind." She sighed, rubbing her eyes with one hand. She placed her hand back on the steering wheel, scowl still stuck in place. _And she still looks beautiful._

"Come on, Rose. What were you going to ask?"

"Really, it's nothing." She replied, eyes glued to the road.

"Alright."

She sighed again and pulled over on the side of the road. For the first time throughout the ride, she turned to look at me. "If you're not going to tell him how you feel today…I will."

"W-what?" I stuttered, completely caught off guard.

"You heard me. This…this ends now. You need to either get with him, or get over him."

"Rose, you can't-"

"Don't, Edward." She replied icily. "You may not want to see it, but everyone else does. You're too in love with him. You're devotion to him…it's not doing you any good. So, today, when we go to visit him, you're going to tell him exactly what you feel."

"Don't you think that's a complete invasion of my privacy?" I asked incredulously. "I'd rather have him in my life as a friend than not at all!"

"Don't lie. You'll never be satisfied with friendship." She snapped. "You're only hurting yourself! You may delude yourself into thinking friendship is all you need, but we both know that's not true. Today, he is going to find out."

"No, he's not. Rosalie, it's not-"

"Oh, you bet your ass it's my business. He's finding out today, and that's final. Now, it's up to you: Shall you be the one telling him, or do I have to?"

I glared at her, my breaths coming out in short huffs. Never had I felt such contempt for Rosalie. _And yet you know she's right. _My mind argued back. After a few moments of tense silence, I sighed in defeat.

"Fine. I'll tell him today."

"That's right. And you'll see that I was right all along." She sang in a falsely sweet voice. "Now, where does the mutt live again?"

"Rosalie." I warned quietly.

"Sorry, Edward. Where does _Jacob _live?" She asked sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes, but pointed it out anyway. "There, to your right." Jacob's house was nothing like my own. Many would call my house 'pristine', beautiful, elegant, fancy and expensive. Jacob's house was…well, the exact opposite. It was small, and slightly worn. The rust-red paint was chipping in some places, and the roof needed to be patched in a few areas as well. The inside wasn't much better, and yet it had something that my own house lacked: warmth.

Yes, I had two loving parents and wonderful siblings. But…it wasn't a home. It had a certain coldness that accompanies wealth; it lacked _something _that I just couldn't place. Maybe it was the fact that Carlisle was never home due to his career as a doctor, or because Esme was always busy engaging herself in community based activities. Maybe it was because they weren't my real parents. _Stop it. Not now. Focus on Jacob. _I cleared my mind as I stepped out of the car and headed towards the house. I hesitantly raised my fist to knock on the door. _Something's wrong. _I knocked on the door, but there was no reply.

"Jacob? It's me, Edward." I called out. I tried knocking again, but to no avail. _Well, his family did say that I was always welcome in their home. _I turned the door knob slowly, surprised that it was unlocked. I quietly walked inside, careful to leave the door open behind me. There was something wrong in the air, some sort of tension. And honestly, if there was any kind of trouble here, then I had to warn Rosalie at the very least. I walked through the small living room towards Jacob's room, and I could hear a soft whimper coming from his room. "Jacob?" I tried again, opening the door. A wave of relief washed over me. He was fine— physically, at least. Soft cries escaped his lips as he slowly turned to face me.

"H-hey, Edward." He said softly, rubbing his swollen red eyes. "I wasn't expecting you-I didn't even hear you coming." His cast his gaze downward.

"Jacob, what's wrong?" I quickly kneeled down beside him, one hand on his shoulder, the other rested on my knee. "What happened?"

"Edward-" His voice cracked and he pulled me into a crushing embrace, his sobs breaking out in uneven gasps. "Mom—she's-Edward, she's dead." He cried into my neck.

I felt my stomach drop, and my own eyes began to water. "Jacob…I-I'm so sorry." I hugged him back, my mind still in shock. _Dead? Mrs. Black…? No…_I did my best to keep my tears in. I needed to be strong. He needed me. We stayed like that for a while, him curled up in my arms; me sitting there still as a statue. What more could I do? I had never been in a situation like this before. I gently rubbed his back and whispered quietly in his ears. "I'm so sorry." And when I could no longer be strong, I cried with him, forgetting any petty thought of wanting to be with him.

**/\\**

I had texted Rosalie the situation a while back, and asked her to discreetly tell my parents what had happened, and why I wasn't home. The tears had stopped, but we were still latched tightly on together._She's always been so kind to me, always treated me like a son…And if I feel this bad, Jacob must feel…_I closed my eyes, stopping the tears from flowing. _Be strong._

"A car accident." He said softly. "That's why she's gone. Gone in a moment…" He let out a shaky breath. "Dad was in the car too—he's in the hospital recovering. Mom…well, they said it was pretty instant."

"When did it happen?" I asked just as quietly.

"Last night. They were coming home from a party…a drunk driver was on the road…" He trailed off, taking a deep breath. "One mistake, Edward. That's all it takes to ruin a life permanently."

"I know…I know, Jacob." I replied. "What can I do to help? Anything you need…"

"Come with me to visit dad…please? He…he really needs me now. And I need…you."

"You don't need to ask." I answered, slowly standing up. I extended a hand towards him and helped him up. "You know that I'll always be here for you." I slowly pulled him into an embrace. He hugged me back, his strong arms tightly wrapped around me.

_Always…Jacob, I'll always be yours._

Mmkay, there's Part one of my _The Little Mermaid _retelling (the first half of the story). Part two will be up soon enough. Reviews, constructive criticism, favorites, etc is greatly appreciated (And hell, at least the flames will keep me warm…it's been rather chilly here on Hawaii).

And if you guys are interested, this fic is an adaption of my current situation (I need a creative outlet!)…so, advice (even if you're total strangers!) is greatly appreciated (through the form of a PM). Thank you, I hope you enjoy it!


	2. PART II

Okay, here's the second half of The Little Mermaid. I hope you all enjoy it.

Some parts (Dialogue) might be a little hard to understand, so I'll explain it here:

_Text of the Original Little Mermaid story (Foreshadowing what will happen in that specific part of the story_).

**/\\** Break in part of story (a short time skip, if you will).

_Edward's thoughts_

"_Edward 'speaking' when he loses his voice (Either him writing, or mouthing the sentence/phrase.)"_

"Speaking."

**PART II**

_But she soon thought again of the world above her, for she could not forget the charming prince, nor her sorrow that she had not an immortal soul like his; therefore she crept away silently out of her father's palace, and while everything within was gladness and song, she sat in her own little garden sorrowful and alone. Then she heard the bugle sounding through the water, and thought—"He is certainly sailing above, he on whom my wishes depend, and in whose hands I should like to place the happiness of my life. I will venture all for him, and to win an immortal soul, while my sisters are dancing in my father's palace, I will go to the sea witch, of whom I have always been so much afraid, but she can give me counsel and help."_

"It's alright…really. You saved my life, and that's all that matters." Billy said softly, lying against the hospital bed. "Don't be sorry for me." His eyes, which usually only held unparalleled joy, were now filled with grief. "I just wish…I could have done more for Sarah."

Silence filled the room again at the mention of her name. "Don't blame yourself, Billy." Emse whispered softly, patting his hand. "It…it's not-" A sob escaped her lips as she gently wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry."

He returned the hug, tears spilling down his face. It was horrifying to see a man like Billy Black crying. He was so strong, sturdy like a wall. To see him break…_But who can blame him? _My mind whispered harshly back. _He lost his wife…_I looked over to Jacob. Like his father, he too was broken, and silent tears slid down his face. No matter what relief he had that his father had survived, it did nothing to mitigate the sorrow he had due to the loss of his mother. I hesitantly rubbed his back.

"Jacob…" I whispered softly. "Do you want some time alone with your dad?" He nodded slowly, his gaze never meeting my own. "…Alright." I stood up and pulled on Esme's arm.

"Mom…I think we should let Jacob and Billy have their time to grieve in private." I whispered in her ear. "They haven't had time to talk since the accident…" She quickly nodded and grabbed Carlisle's hand, gently tugging him out of the room.

"We'll be back in an hour to pick Jacob up." She said quietly. "He can stay with us until you're released from the hospital."

"…You don't need to take Jacob in…we wouldn't want to bother you."

"Don't be silly. It's no burden. Anything to help." Esme replied, a small smile on her face.

"…Thanks. That helps a lot." Billy replied softly. "Thank you, Dr. Cullen…Esme…and thank you, Edward."

"Of course. You know that it's no trouble." Carlisle said. "I'll be back with them in an hour to check up on you, Billy." He silently nodded, beckoning Jacob closer. I heard a few quiet sobs before Carlisle closed the door behind him.

"I have to make my rounds…Edward, why don't you wait with your mother? I'm sure you two need time to digest the…severity of the situation yourself…" He gave us a sad smile before walking off, directing a few stray nurses on his way.

I frowned to myself. _Carlisle works too hard…he cares too much. He can't even spare his time to grieve and comfort Esme… _I blinked back the tears as I grabbed my mother's hand and guided her to the waiting room.

"…Billy and Jacob…they're strong." I began quietly. "This…won't be over to overcome. But…they won't allow themselves to waste away into nothingness. They know that's not what Sarah would want."

Esme swallowed hard, looking right through me. "Yes…you're right, dear. It's not…" She trailed off and buried her head into my shoulder. "I just wish…"

"We all do, mom." I said quietly. "We all do…"

As promised, Jacob came home with us that night. He and I went to his house to obtain all the necessary items he would need for the duration of his stay. The silence that spread between us was unbearable. What could you possibly say to someone who had just lost their mother…?

"Edward." He said softly, packing the remainder of his clothes into his bag.

"Yes?" I answered just as softly. _What could he possibly…_

"I want to thank you for everything you've done for me." His back was still facing me. "You…you're too kind."

"Jacob…" I hesitantly walked over to him. "I'm only doing what any friend would do."

"No. You go far beyond what a normal 'friend' would do." This had effectively silenced me. I lowered my gaze to the ground as he turned around. "Edward…You mean so much to me. Please…promise that you'll never leave me." His voice cracked and I could hear the pure sorrow laced in his words. "Please!" He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest, his whole body trembling. "Please…" He sobbed again.

I froze. Could I really promise him such a thing? I knew that this would hurt me. It would only intensify my sorrow, my pain, and my attachment to him. I slowly relaxed into his grip and wound my arms around his neck. I pulled myself closer to him, pressing my body until it was flush with his. _Yes…I can._

"Of course, Jacob. I would never leave you." I finally answered.

"Thank you, Edward." He whispered hoarsely. I weakly nodded back, trying not to get too excited at the proximity of our bodies.

_But…I also know what must be done now. _There was no question in my mind as to what I had to do next. If I were going to be so close to Jacob…if I wanted my shot at happiness, I needed to act. I was so close to obtaining him…a singular _thing _stood in my way. And that thing was Bella. It wasn't going to be easy to get rid of her, or at the very least get past her. I knew that much. But, I had a force much stronger than Bella, or even Jacob.

If anyone could get rid of such a hindrance, _she_ could get the job done.

_"I know what you want," said the sea witch; "it is very stupid of you, but you shall have your way, and it will bring you to sorrow, my pretty princess. You want to get rid of your fish's tail, and to have two supports instead of it, like human beings on earth, so that the young prince may fall in love with you, and that you may have an immortal soul. I will prepare a draught for you, with which you must swim to land tomorrow before sunrise, and sit down on the shore and drink it. Your tail will then disappear, and you will feel great pain, as if a sword were passing through you. . If you will bear all this, I will help you."_

_"Yes, I will," said the little princess in a trembling voice._

_"But I must be paid also," said the witch, "and it is not a trifle that I ask. You have the sweetest voice of any who dwell here in the depths of the sea, and you believe that you will be able to charm the prince with it also, but this voice you must give to me; the best thing you possess will I have for the price of my draught."_

_"But if you take away my voice," said the little mermaid, "what is left for me?"_

_"Your beautiful form, your graceful walk, and your expressive eyes; surely with these you can enchain a man's heart."_

_"It shall be," said the little mermaid._

There was something supernatural about _her_. It was almost as if some mystical force was running through her veins. This was due to the fact that she was the great-great granddaughter of some acclaimed witch, or so she claimed. Of course, no one dared to dispute this. She seemed to have a way of making misfortune befall on those whom she did not care for. Because of her reputation, many went to her seeking help to make people fall in love with them, curse others who had pissed them off, or to simply ask for guidance during their times of need. She seemed to have solutions to every problem, and I hoped my own were no different.

I made my way outside to the courtyard, wrapping my jacket around my body. _Typical Forks weather. _I thought bitterly, pulling my hood over my head as the rain began to poor down. I came to a stop as I saw her calmly sitting under a tree, an umbrella in one hand. She smiled lovingly as she pet a snake that coiled around her other hand. I hesitantly walked over to her, clutching the drawstrings of my jacket.

_You can do this. It's for Jacob..._I thought timidly. _But I wonder what kind of snake that is? Is it venomous? Will she send it to attack me?_

"Masticophis taeniatus." She said quietly. "Or, as it's more commonly known, a Striped Whipsnake. They're nonvenomous, don't worry."

"…How did you know that I was thinking that?" I asked, terrified now.

She smiled sweetly and laughed. Even the snake seemed to shudder when she did. "It's written all over your face. You don't need to be a psychic to see that." She raised the snake and let it coil around her neck. "Of course, we have more pressing matters, now don't we, Edward?"

My eyes traced the path that the snake made as it slid down her neck and over her body. I tore my gaze away from it to answer. "Yes, Jane."

"May I assume it's about Jacob?" She asked, her eyes boring into me. "That you love him…that you want a certain Swan out of the picture?"

I swallowed hard, but nodded. "Yes."

"The outcome of such an event is unknown even to me; I cannot guarantee your happiness. But, know this: Jacob will be devastated once Bella is gone, and would be even more so should he ever find out that you had anything to do with it. Are you willing to gamble your relationship with him?"

"As long as she doesn't get hurt physically, then yes, I am."

"Always the saint, aren't you?" She replied sarcastically, giggling softly. "But have it your way. It will be a little more difficult to have her out of the picture without killing her…but it can be done. I can secrete a potion that will make her fall out of love him…she'll come to hate him. But she needs to drink it all, or else it will not have a lasting effect. Do you understand?"

"What if I never get the opportunity to give it to her?" I asked.

"It will happen. Do you understand?" She said firmly.

I nodded again.

"Good. You should also be aware that when she drinks the potion, a great pain will pass through her…almost as if someone had stabbed a jagged knife through her heart. This is so the bond of love that she has for him can be severed. Can you live with yourself knowing you caused this pain?"

"It will only _feel _like that? She won't die because of it, will she?" I asked. When she shook her head, I answered, "Yes, I can."

"Greedy, aren't we?" She hissed. I bit my lip as she continued. "If, however, you aren't able to capture his heart…If he falls in love with another, _your _heart will break, and _you _will die. Will you risk your own life to be with him?"

I paled. _I'll die if I can't get him to love me…?_ I closed my eyes "I will." I said with a shaky voice.

"For such a potion…I require payment." Before I could even reach into my pocket for my wallet, she continued. "Your words…you're so diplomatic. With it you think you'll be able to charm him, to comfort him once Bella's gone. But, it is this that I will take from you." She grinned.

"I don't understand…"

"For such a smart kid, you're awfully dumb." She replied. "Your voice, silly."

I gripped my throat. "My voice…? But how can I possibly get him if I can't talk?  
>"He's known you for quite some time. He won't abandon you; it's not in his nature. If anything, this will bring you closer. You have looks, and besides…your eyes do all the talking you need. So, have you lost courage?"<p>

"It will be."

She laughed again. "What fools will do for love. Very well…I suppose we should begin." She beckoned me to follow her into the woods, where I slowly followed her to. She made her way to a clearing where a cauldron was already bubbling away. "It's a good thing I foresaw your coming, hmm?" She laughed. "Now, the final touches…" She grabbed the snake harshly and withdrew a knife, cutting its head off. She threw it into the potion, and then pointed the knife into her wrist and cut delicately along the vein. She winced as she pushed three drops of blood into the concoction before she withdrew and bandaged it.

When she had finished, to my surprise, the liquid was crystal clear. She smiled at me. "Bring me your tongue."

I gasped and shook my head. "You're going to cut my tongue out?" I hadn't imagined even she would do such a thing. "You can't take my voice in a different way?"

"No. For all the suffering you're about to cause, I'd imagine this is fair." She raised an eyebrow, challenging me. I sighed, and nodded.

"It is…"

"Good."

I walked over to her slowly, my heart pounding. _So much to lose…but everything to gain. _I repeated this over and over as I got closer to her. _It's to be with Jacob. _I was relieved to see her withdraw a different knife to cut my tongue out.

"Cleanliness is important." She whispered when I finally reached her. I bent down to her level and opened my mouth, trying not to gag as she reached into my mouth. With a quick slice, immeasurable pain flooded my senses and I reeled back. I spit out the blood that continued to poor out of my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit. I glared up as I heard her malicious laughter. "Well, here you have it. I'd get to a hospital if I were you."

She handed me the vial that contained the key to being with Jacob, and I snatched it away quickly and pocketed it. I sprinted through the trees, spitting out blood as needed. I was getting lightheaded, and I knew that I needed help fast. _Jacob. _I called in my mind. _Please save me. _I stumbled out of the forest and was glad to find myself back at the school. _Jacob! _I fell to my knees and grimaced. The pain was unimaginable. I looked around, praying that he would be there. _Jacob…_I hung my head, realizing that I needed to get myself out of this mess.

"Edward? What happened? You're mouth is bleeding..." Jacob asked quickly. I looked up, glad to see him. I called out his name—at least I tried to, but blood spilled out of my mouth and I quickly closed it. "What the fuck?" He picked me up and opened my mouth. Blood continued to pour out. "Did someone cut off your tongue?" He asked horrified.

I nodded weakly. _Forgive me._

"Shit. We need to get you to the hospital. We can't take my bike…did you drive today?" He asked. I shook my head. "Shit. Shit. Shit. SHIT!" He put me on his back and ran to the school. "Hey, Blondie!"

Rosalie looked over at him. "What do you want, mutt?" She asked bitterly. She looked over his shoulder and at me. "Edward? What—"

"Drive us to the hospital now. I don't know who, or how, but someone attacked Edward, and he's missing a tongue." Her eyes widened as she looked at me.

"What?" She paled considerably. It looked as if she was fighting the urge to vomit.

"We don't have time. Let's go!" She nodded weakly, but quickly followed him into the parking lot. When we got to her car, she handed him her keys.

"I-I can't drive right now." She swallowed hard. "I'll sit in back with him." He nodded quickly and carefully placed me into the back seat, and Rosalie was quick to enter the other side. Once I was secured Jacob ran to the front and sped out of the school.

Rosalie handed me an empty water bottle to spit my blood into. I nodded in appreciation as I spit up another round of the red liquid. I could hear her crying and I looked up and shook my head. I reached into my pocket and held a finger to my lips. I slowly pulled out the vial and shoved it into her hands.

"What is this?" She whispered.

I shook my head. _Not now._

She seemed to understand and put the small bottle into her pocket. "Don't worry, Edward….we're almost there." I smiled one last time at her before I finally blacked out.

**/\\**

_"What happened?"_

_"We don't know, Jacob and I found him like this-"_  
>I wove in and out of consciousness. I could hear my mother's worried voice, and Carlisle's calm but strained one to foil hers.<p>

_"My God. Will my baby ever talk again?"  
>"…Probably not…"<em>

Emmett, Alice and Jasper were doing their best to calm Rosalie.

_"Rose, it's not your fault-"_

_"But I should've been there for him! Jesus, I should have known something was wrong when he didn't show up to class!"_

_"Rosalie, it's no one's fault."_

_"None of us could have known this was going to happen…"_

And, of course, I heard the questioning.

_"Rosalie, are you sure there were no clues as to why this happened?"_

_"I…I'm sure. Of course, Jacob was the one who found him. Maybe you should ask him?"_

_"Yes…Jacob. He's not handling it well, is he?"_

_"Well, dear, would you expect him to? He just lost his mother…"_

Jacob. My heart ached. How could I have been so selfish? Was all of this worth it?

_"The police are here…Rosalie, get Jake. They need all the details they can get…and with Edward unconscious…"_

_"Right."_

I struggled to open my eyes, but they refused to cooperate. _Maybe it's better this way. I need some time to come up with a story. I mean, I don't even have any bruises on my body…I can't say I was attacked._

_"What do you suppose happened, dear?"_

_"I don't know…Rosalie and Jacob just found him like this. I mean, he has no physical trauma, signs of a struggle. No traces of someone drugging him either-"_

_"Well, you don't believe that he LET someone do this to him, do you?"  
>"Of course not. But…We'll just have to wait for him to wake up to tell us exactly what happened."<em>

What could I tell them? _Nothing. _The thought came quickly, on instinct. I would never again be able to talk. The thought scared me. How would I get through life? How could I? What did I just do?_Jacob. That's why I did this. He will get me through, right? _The doubt that lingered was still there. _Then again, if I don't get Jacob, I won't have to worry…I'll be dead. _The reality of my situation finally hit me. To live, I really did need him to love me, and only me. I wasn't so shallow anymore. It was a physical need, no longer a selfish want.

And that thought bought me comfort.

**/\\**

I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly to adjust to the sterile lights that flooded the room. I groaned as I felt a throbbing in my head, lifting a hand to press against my temple. I let out a sigh and reached towards the table next to my bed for the glass of water that was graciously left for me. I took a few gulps before setting it back down and really getting a look at my surroundings. True, it looked no different than any other room that I had been in as far as this hospital went, however, it seemed different to be the one in the bed rather than the one looking towards the sick. It was a little surprising to see that Rosalie alone was waiting, arms folded angrily across her chest.

I stared at her, not comprehending her anger. I opened my mouth to ask her, but stopped, remembering that I could no longer speak. She raised an eyebrow at me as she reached down and thrust a dry-erase board into my chest.

"Write. Now." She commanded, and even I knew better than to question what exactly she meant. "And it better _not _have anything to do with this bottle." She raised the vial to my eye level, glaring at me. "And I know that this doesn't have anything to do with _Jane._" I winced as I continued to write exactly what had transpired. I was careful to note everything, from the effects of the vial to what would happen to me if Jacob didn't love me back. I hesitantly handed the board over to, frightened as to what she would do once she found out. Her eyes progressively narrowed as she scanned the message. Her lips tightened, and I knew I was in deep shit.

She placed the board down and closed her eyes, taking a few calming breaths. Her jaw was clenched, and her fists were clenched. She let out a shaky breath before she began. "Edward. This is so incredibly stupid. How could you—most people are content to move on with their life if they can't get the guy they're in love with. Why—WHY on earth—what possessed you to think this was a good idea? You can't speak! You're tongue has been physically removed! And if you don't get him, you die! Why did you do this?"

I bit my lip before I gestured to the only source of our communication.

"Oh, it was a rhetorical question, idiot!" She snapped. "Edward…what the hell are you going tell the authorities? Your parents? That you sold your voice to some witch for the chance of love?" She let out a bitter laugh. "God, do you think? There were other ways that you could get him, or at least get Bella out of the picture. But black magic that might not even work? You've got to be kidding me…how the hell are you going to get her to drink it? Did you think of that?"

_I know I'm an idiot. _Tears escaped my eyes as I met her gaze. _But without Jacob…without him loving me, there's no point in living anyway; I don't expect you to understand…but please…Rose, I need your support. I need your help to ensure that I DO live. Will you help me? _I carefully mouthed to her. _Will you help me or not? _I kept her gaze locked with my own, until she finally relented.

"Edward…I…" She sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll help you. We'll get him to love you. But first…let's focus on getting Bella to drink this." She swished the crystal bottle carefully. "Jane…she told you that the opportunity would present itself?"  
>I nodded quickly.<p>

"Well, we'll just have to trust her words for it, I guess." She sighed again. "…What are you going to tell the police?"

I slowly shook my head. '_I don't know.'_

She let out a sigh. "Well, let's brain storm…what could you possibly have done to get your tongue cut out? No signs of a struggle…Damn, you've made this difficult."

I gave her an apologetic stare. "_Don't worry. I'll come up with something."_I quickly wrote. _"Really…it's not your responsibility…I was the one who did this, not you." _I gave her a weak smile.

"Ed, come on. You're smart and all, but I don't know if you can come up with a logical reason for all of this happening…"

I frowned at her. _"Well, I could say I was drugged. Even if nothing shows up in my system, they'd have to believe it. I'm sure there's some kind of drug that won't show up in someone's system. No one could prove otherwise, right?"_

"It's risky Edward, but if that's your story, go for it." Rosalie let out a sigh. "I swear, you make everything so difficult." She smiled at me. "Now that that's been sorted out: Bella."

The second the name escaped her mouth, said girl entered the room. As usual, her hand played with the ends of her brown hair, her teeth biting down on her lower lip. She kept her eyes downcast as she came closer to my bed. She timidly looked up at Rosalie, and surprisingly, she didn't shrink underneath Rosalie's cold stare.

"Rosalie." She gave a small nod in the ice queen's direction."I came here to talk with Edward—to visit him." She quickly amended. "Could you give us a few minutes?"

I gave a nod to Rosalie, and she sighed irritably. "Whatever." I saw her grab the vial from the corner of my eye.

_What are you up to? _I thought as she slowly left the room, careful to brush up against Bella's shoulder. With a glare she left the room.

"I'll notify the others that you're awake. You have five minutes to talk to him, Isabella." She closed the door behind her as she left, and Bella let out a sigh of relief.

"I wonder why Rosalie doesn't like me…?" She shook her head. "Never mind that, you wouldn't know." She gave me a sad smile. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you. I wish that I could do something to make this better, to reverse this."

I shook my head and wrote: _"It's my own fault that this happened. There's no one else to blame. Please don't be sorry." _I smiled at her.

"Jacob said you'd say that." She smiled at me. "But, if there's anything I can do for you, please, let me know."

I nodded. _"Of course. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"_

"Well, there is one thing…" She paused. "But, if you're going to be thoroughly interrogated, it can wait."

I shook my head. _"Go on."_

"It's 's so…well, he feels guilty over this. When you get the chance, could you talk to him?" She looked into my eyes. "I know that of everyone, you can get him out of this depression."

I bit my lip. _But, I caused this sorrow intentionally. I knew that this would happen…but, he doesn't know. _I smiled tightly and nodded.

**"**_**Hand her the Candy."**_ A voice called in my mind. It startled me, and I froze. _**"NOW. Do it now." **_I carefully reached over to the candy that sat on the table next to me. _Jane?_ I thought slowly._How are you-_

_**"Now. Or your opportunity will be forever lost, and you'll have done this for nothing." **_Her voice slowly faded from my consciousness as I offered her the chocolate. I smiled at her.

_"Candy?"_ I mouthed. She smiled at me as she took the treat from my hand.

"Thank you!" She slowly unwrapped it and took a bite. She paused half way through the chocolate. "Oh…it's a little spicy." She coughed a little. "Okay, it's really hot." She coughed harder while her eyes started to water. "What kind of chocolate was that?" She gasped between coughs. She looked at the wrapper. "It-It says it's milk chocolate…" She gasped. "Water, I need water!"

And just as I started to panic, Rosalie entered with a bottle of water in hand. "Didn't I come just in time?" A small smile graced her lips as she handed the bottle over to Bella. "Take a drink." Bella gratefully took the bottle and quickly drained the whole thing.

"How strange. They gave you a defective candy." She gasped once she finished. "Or a mislabeled one. I guess it's a good thing I got it, and you didn't." She laughed nervously. "I suppose I do get all the bad lu-" Her eyes widened and she grasped her chest. She became a sickly shade of pale as she gasped for air. Finally, with a spine-chilling scream, she collapsed to the floor.

Rosalie stared at Bella's form in horror. "Is she dead?" She asked slowly. "I thought you said-"

I shook my head and pointed to her body. _"She's breathing." _I mouthed. Rosalie sighed and placed a hand over her chest.

"Christ, that was scary…" She looked over to me. "How did you know that I was going to fill a regular bottle of water with the potion?" She asked.

I shrugged. I really didn't know…I was told. But I didn't get the opportunity to tell her as Carlisle and the others entered, followed closely by the police. The crowd went silent as they looked at the scene before them.

"What happened here?" Carlisle asked quietly, looking between Rosalie and Bella's unconscious body.

"I really don't know." Rosalie said. "When I came in here, she was choking that chocolate bar." She pointed to the wrapper that was lying next to Bella's body. "I gave her my water that I just bought from the vending machine," She gestured to the bottle that was under Bella's hand. "Then she fainted." She rested a hand on her hip.

The group looked over to me, and I nodded. Carlisle sighed and called a nurse in. "Let's get her to a room, please. See if anything's wrong with her. Maybe an allergic reaction?"

"We'll examine the evidence…" The police said. "I suppose we should get Charlie in here, he'll want to know that this happened to his daughter." The man quickly exited the room, leaving another two officers.

"So, ready to tell us the details?" One of the other men asked. I nodded, taking the dry-erase board that was by my side.

_I hope they buy this._

_When the sun arose and shone over the sea, she recovered, and felt a sharp pain; but just before her stood the handsome young prince. He fixed his coal-black eyes upon her so earnestly that she cast down her own, and then became aware that her fish's tail was gone, and that she had as pretty a pair of white legs and tiny feet as any little maiden could have. The prince asked her who she was, and where she came from, and she looked at him mildly and sorrowfully with her deep blue eyes; but she could not speak. She was very soon arrayed in costly robes of silk and muslin, and was the most beautiful creature in the palace; but she was dumb, and could neither speak nor sing._

_Beautiful female slaves, dressed in silk and gold, stepped forward and sang before the prince and his royal parents: one sang better than all the others, and the prince clapped his hands and smiled at her._

_The slaves next performed some pretty fairy-like dances, to the sound of beautiful music. Then the little mermaid raised her lovely white arms, stood on the tips of her toes, and glided over the floor, and danced as no one yet had been able to dance. At each moment her beauty became more revealed, and her expressive eyes appealed more directly to the heart than the songs of the slaves. Everyone was enchanted, especially the prince, who called her his little foundling; and she danced again quite readily, to please him, though each time her foot touched the floor it seemed as if she trod on sharp knives_

To my great surprise, it all went smoothly. They bought my lies, and left me soon to rest. Even Carlisle and the rest of my family left me. I was alone again…and yet, I wasn't tired. I couldn't sleep, not without seeing him. _Jacob…do you hate me? Is that why you haven't visited me yet? Do you know what I've done? _I sighed as I leaned into the uncomfortable mattress. I wasn't so much a fan of T.V, but I needed some kind of noise, so I turned on the device and lazily scanned the channels. _Jacob…please, come. I want to hear your voice. _I knew that I was being petty, and I felt bad about it. But, when you've just risked everything to be with a guy…well, I felt pretty justified. Just as I resigned myself to face the reality that he wasn't going to come, the door slowly opened.

My head snapped to it, my heart pumping against my chest erratically. Slowly, Jacob entered the room. He carefully closed the door behind him and made his way over to me and I quickly pushed myself to a sitting position. I didn't know whether I should smile or not. On one hand, I was so happy to see him. On the other, he looked so…depressed. I finally decided to smile at him, to let him know everything was okay. But he didn't smile back. Instead, he kept walking to me until he finally reached my bed, choosing to sit on the edge. He looked at me sorrowfully, and again I offered him a smile.

_"How's Bella?" _I wrote quickly. _You know very well…_I shoved that thought to the back of my mind as I looked at him with a sense of false concern.

He sighed heavily, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well, she's fine…at least, she doesn't have to stay overnight. Apparently nothing's wrong with her that they can find…Charlie just needs to keep a watch over her for the next few days."

I nodded. _"I'm glad that she's fine. I was so worried." _I quickly scrawled.

"Edward…" Jacob stared at me guiltily, slowly pulling me into a hug. "I should have been there to save you." He held on tighter. "Why…" He closed his eyes and burrowed his head into the crook of my shoulder. "I'm so sorry." I gently pat his back before pushing away from him. I shook my head and smiled.

_"Jacob…you've been through a lot these past few weeks. Please, don't beat yourself over this. I'm alive…that's what really matters, right?"_ I quickly wrote and handed the board over to him.

"But, if I was with you, you wouldn't have been…" He looked away guiltily. "Maybe, if I hadn't been spending so much time with Bella-"

I grabbed his chin delicately and slowly made him turn to face me. I shook my head again, and smiled. _"Don't be sorry." _I mouthed. I pulled him into another hug. I rested my head on his chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat. _I should be sorry._

"Ahem."

I pulled away from Jacob immediately as we stared at the door. Carlisle stood awkwardly in the doorway, staring out the window. "I'm sorry, Jacob, but visiting hours are over…you'll have to come back tomorrow." I frowned at my father, and he gave me a pointed look. "You need rest, Edward."

"He's right." Jacob sighed and stood up. I quickly grabbed his hand.

_"Please stay." _I begged silently. He looked over to Carlisle who sighed in response.

"Alright. I'll let it slide…you can stay the night. I'll inform the nurses and get you a bed." He smiled at me. "You're becoming a brat, Edward." He smiled sadly as he left the room, leaving us a lone again.

_"Thank you." _I mouthed.

He nodded and embraced me once more. "It's the least I can do." I smiled bitterly, staring at the wall opposite to his back.

_Loving me is the least you could do…_I pulled away from him and did my best to hide my true feelings. A few minutes Carlisle returned with a small mattress, blanket and pillow for Jacob to sleep on. With a goodnight hug for me and firm handshake for Jacob, he was off to make the rest of his rounds for the night.

"You'll be discharged tomorrow, son." He called as he exited. I nodded to his retreating form before lying back down.

_"Goodnight, Jacob." _I wrote quickly.

"Night, Eddie." He smiled at me from the floor. "I promise, from here on out…I'll take better care of you."

I smiled back at him, my heart filling with warmth. _"Yes, of course." _I leaned back on the bed, closing my eyes. Though I wasn't tired too long ago, I was exhausted now. _Promise me that you'll love me. _I thought before sleep quickly consumed me.

**/\\**

I woke up early the next day, eager to leave. Indeed, Jacob was already awake and sitting on one of the chairs. He gave me a small smile before handing me clothes to change into.

"Carlisle already checked you out…" He trailed off and helped me get to the bathroom. "When you're ready, I'll take you home."

I shook my head vigorously before handing him a message. _"Let's go out. We both need a pick-me-up._"

"I guess we do, huh?" He smiled at me. "So hurry up and get changed so we can enjoy ourselves."

I nodded and rushed into the bathroom, eagerly changing my clothes. _From here on out, every little thing counts. I need to step it up. _I pulled the plain white V-neck over my head and slid into my fitted jeans. _Rosalie must've picked this outfit out. _I smirked. It was nice to have someone on my side. I slowly opened the door and hesitantly stepped outside. He whistled sarcastically as I made my way over to him.

"Trying to get the ladies, huh?" He asked. "Or is all of this to seduce me?" He winked suggestively. I blushed at the comment, but made no effort to deny it.

_Subtle hints are good. _I thought as he opened the door for me, and made our way down the elevator and to the front desk. We smiled at the woman running it before we quickly made our way to his Rabbit. He handed me a helmet which I gratefully accepted, and latched tightly onto his waist.

"Well, anywhere you specifically wanna go?" He asked playfully.

I shrugged and leaned into him, resting my head on his back. _As long as I'm with you, I don't really care. _I thought. "_Let's just have some fun." _I wrote on my hand and shoved it in front of his face.

"Oh, that reminds me!" He reached into his pocket and retrieved my phone. "I think this will make communication a little easier." He grinned at me as I took the device from his hand. I nodded into his back as the engine roared to life. "Well, since you don't have anything in mind, I'll just have to surprise you with some awesome shit, huh?" And with that he sped out of the parking.

No matter how many times I rode on his bike with him, I wasn't accustomed to it. It was nerve racking, but exhilarating at the same time. I loved the way the wind whipped past us, the danger and bad-ass-ness of being on a motorcycle. But, I mostly enjoyed it because it gave me an opportunity to be so close to Jacob. The physical contact was what I craved, and this was one of the few times I got it. I watched the trees whip by as I inhaled his intoxicating scent. Today was going to be perfect—I could just feel it.

As we came to a stop, I reluctantly released my hold on him. I wasn't surprised that we were at the reservation; Jacob preferred nature of the luxuries of any town or city, as did I. That was another reason we got along so well. Most people didn't appreciate the beauty of the natural world as much as he and I did. I smiled at him appreciatively, and he grinned back.

"I hope you don't mind." He chuckled nervously. "I'm gonna take you somewhere new…" He gestured for me to follow as he walked down a trail, as he promised, I didn't recognize. "You don't mind, do you?"

I shook my head. _"Don't be silly." _I quickly typed on my phone. I smiled reassuringly at him as we continued down the path. He slowed his pace so we were walking side by side. I kept looking at him from the corner of my eyes, and but kept his gaze focused straightforward. His jaw was clenched and he gulped nervously. _He wants to talk to me. But he doesn't know how to…_I placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped.

"Hmm? Is something wrong?" He asked. I shook my head and stared at him

_"Is something wrong with you?" _I typed and flashed the electronic to him.

He paused and stared at me. "You always did know when something was wrong." He smiled. "Well…I just hate how everything is happening…first my mom, then you, and now Bella…" He swallowed hard. "And I know I'm being selfish, but I don't want anyone else to get hurt…you know?" He looked at me apologetically. "I'm scared that I'm going to lose everyone."

I shook my head. "_None of this is your fault. Everything that happened was just a horrible coincidence. You can't just blame yourself…it's not as if you're cursed, or anything. And…no matter how bad, we need to move on. These things can't hold us down. The future is uncertain. No one knows what will happen…but you can't live in fear because of that. With every challenge, we need to take it in stride." _I smiled tightly. _"No one blames you for what happened to your mother, or me, or Bella. It's a rough time…but you're not the only one suffering. Focus on the positive."_

He sighed. "You're right. You always are." He smiled sadly. "But, I-"

_"Enough." _I mouthed. I set my hands on both of his shoulders. _"Today is the day that we're going to be happy, got it?" _I raised my eyebrow, daring him to challenge me. He let out a small chuckle.

"Alright, alright. Today…it'll be as if nothing happened." He relented. I nodded in agreement. "God, you're so-" I gave him a pointed look and he stopped midsentence. "Alright, changing the subject…it's gonna be a long walk. At least another hour. You can handle that, right?"

I rolled my eyes. _"My tongue is missing, not my legs." _He laughed at that, and my heart soared. _"Tell me that you were smart enough to bring water though."_

"Well, we didn't really have the time…I mean, we went straight from the hospital here." He shifted nervously. "But don't worry, there's water where we're going."

_"We're going to drink from a fresh water source without a water purifier?"_

"It'll be fine, princess." He teased. "I've done it before, and I'm perfectly fine."

_"If that's what you call fine…"_ I replied. _Oh, you know it is. _My mind answered back.

"Come on, Eddie. I know you want me." He wriggled his eyebrows mockingly. I rolled my eyes again and did my best to hide the blush that slowly spread across my cheeks. "See! You're blushing."

_"It's from heat exhaustion, not your good looks. You know, because you forgot to bring water." _I sassed, grinning at his false crestfallen expression.

"Everything I do isn't good enough for you!" He called dramatically. I laughed quietly while he mock-glared at me.

_"You're over selling it a tad bit." _I slowly looked up at him, grinning.

"Eh, I guess that's why I can never be an actor." He shrugged. "Come on, we've got a quite a bit more to go." We continued at towards this unknown destination side by side, our hands sometimes brushing against each other. I blushed at the contact, and he made no move to otherwise indicate that he minded.

_Maybe he does…_I shook my head. _He's being friendly. That's all. _But by simply being in his presence, alone and so close, I was happy. The walk didn't feel long at it all, the time flew by. I was stopped by him raising an arm in front of me.

"Close your eyes." He said quietly. I looked up at him curiously, but complied anyway. I smiled as I felt him push my back forward then to the left, guiding me down a hill. "Alright, you can open 'em." I slowly opened my eyes. A waterfall poured into a crystal clear lagoon. A small row boat was settled near the edge closest to us, tiny waves lapping against the wooden material. Smooth stones lined the shoreline, followed by lush green grass. Flowers of all kind grew all over the meadow, and a small picnic had been set up. I looked up at him appreciatively.

_"Did you do all of this for me?"_

He smiled sheepishly. "Well, I was kind of banking on you wanting to do something today…so, and I knew that you wouldn't have a particular place that you'd want to hang out. So, I had Quil and Embry set this place up for me." He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "A little cheesy, I guess, but I thought that you'd like it." He slowly looked up. "You do like it, right?"

I smiled. "_It's perfect." _I eyed the food basket suspiciously. _"There is food in there, right? With something to drink too?"_

He laughed and put an arm around my shoulder. "Of course. I wasn't gonna make you drink lagoon water." His smile was still plastered on his face. "Come on, let's eat." He guided me over to the preset lunch area. "I hope you don't mind…well, junk food. We had to use foods that were wrapped tightly…so, that left chips, water and soda, and a few sandwiches." He chuckled nervously. "Oh. Can you eat solid food…?" He paled and stared at me with wide eyes. "I'm so sorry, I should have thought better."

I shook my head again and handed him the message I was working on. _"Only a portion of my tongue was severed…enough for me to be unable to talk, but Carlisle said I should be able to eat regular food." _I smiled at him. _"So no, I don't need you to pre-chew my food or anything like that."_

He rolled his eyes at me and turned away. "Pssh, I wasn't gonna offer anyway." He looked over at me from his peripheral vision. "Alright, maybe I was going to…" He laughed and handed me a sandwich and a bottle of water. "Let's eat, hmm?" I nodded in agreement. I did my best to put aside the initial awkwardness of eating and drinking, laughed when he made a joke, and appreciated the silence when he ran out of things to say. After our lunch, we both laid down on the grass and watched the clouds float idly by, him saying any thought that came to mind, me nodding in agreement to whatever he said. He skipped a few rocks while I picked a few flowers, and I hadn't noticed just how fast time flew by. The sun was beginning to set. The sky went from yellow to orange, and faded from pink to purple. A few rays still shone off into the distance when I finally tapped him on the shoulder.

_"We should get going."_

"What? But I didn't get to take you on the boat tour around the lagoon." He grinned at me sheepishly. I stared back at him in shock. He pursed his lips at my reaction. "Alright, yeah, it's a little gay, but-"

I quickly shook my head. _"It's alright. It's perfect." _I smiled up at him slyly. _"Were you waiting for the sun to set?" _He blushed in response, and I laughed. _"How romantic." _I carefully stepped into the small row boat while he pushed it out into the water. With a small jump he landed in the boat and began to row out.

"Oh, I almost forgot…" He pulled out a lighter and lit the lantern that hung over the boat. "There, now we have a little light."

**/\\**

**/\\**

I looked over to the edge and saw the little fish dart beneath the surface of the waves. The sun continued to sink beyond the horizon, and a few stars started to flicker to life. A soft breeze danced across the water, carrying with it a few leaves and flower petals. I watched the beauty around me in quiet amazement, for once, instead of keeping concentrated on Jacob's face. Maybe if I had, I would have been ready.

**/\\**

**/\\**  
>The sun finally disappeared completely, the only light coming from the lantern. It illuminated the immediate area around us, and the curious creatures rose to the surface to investigate the miniature sun. I reached down to pet a fish, but they scattered in different directions once my fingers hit the water, only leaving behind ripples. I laughed and looked over to Jacob, surprised at his stare.<p>

_He looks…beautiful. _The flickering flame made shadows glide across his face. His eyes shone with the same intensity as the flame itself, and I could see his shoulders rise and fall with each breath._Is he going to…?_

**/\\**

**/\\**

I licked my lips nervously as he continued to stare at me. I looked towards the sky, glad that the full moon was out now and on the rise. It rose until it was directly above us, illuminating the water. The surface looked like a fish's scale, the way it glittered in the light. I decided to break the silence as I took out my phone and handed him my message. _"The moon is pretty…well, everything is. It's so perfect."_

He nodded mutely and finally broke his gaze. He continued to row around the lagoon, though he looked a little stiff. I sighed and leaned over, letting my fingers trace the water. I loved the way it rippled under my touch, and continued to do so, leaving a long trail behind us. Every now and then I would sneak glances at him, only to find him staring right back at me.

**/\\**

He stopped rowing and let the paddles hang from the edge once we were in the center of the lagoon. He continued to stare at me as the fireflies flew out from the forest and swarmed the lake. The flickering lights added to the intensity of the mood as the floated around us. I swallowed hard as he started to lean towards me, his eyes never leaving my own. I was too afraid to speak, as if any sound would break the spell. My heart pounded erratically against my chest as he got nearer and nearer._ He's going to kiss me._

**/\\**

_You've got to kiss the girl, Why don't you kiss the girl, You gotta kiss the girl_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

**/\\**

He leaned into me and I felt his lips press against my own. I waited for the dream to end, for me to wake up. But it didn't happen. His lips remained on my own until I finally kissed back, leaning into him as well. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around his neck, and he pulled my waist into his. He ran his tongue over my lip and I gasped, allowing him access to my mouth. I felt self-conscious as I felt his tongue glide over my stub and began to pull away.

"Stop. It's fucking amazing." He panted before he pulled me back in. I moaned at the contact; I could feel his arousal.

_What am I doing? _I pushed against his chest and sat back down, panting just as hard as he was. _"Bella." _I shook my head as he tried to make his way back to me. _"You need to end it with her."_

"I will." He growled as he pulled me into him. "But, Edward…I've been waiting for this for so long. I just…I didn't realize it until you were attacked." He wrapped his arms tightly around me. "And I didn't know if you felt the same…"He sighed. "And I should have…"

I leaned up and kissed him, effectively cutting him off. _"Enough." _I leaned my head to his hard chest. We sat there for a few moments before he gently prodded me away and began to row back towards shore. He left the boat inland where the water wouldn't drag it off, and left the picnic basket in it too, claiming to come back for it tomorrow. He gently lifted me onto his back, despite my protests, and walked the trail back to his bike. And through it all, a small smile graced my lips. For even if I were to die tomorrow, even if he somehow married another, I would be okay with it. I had one night with him, one night in which he loved me.

And that was all I ever asked for.

_Very soon it was said that the prince must marry, and that the beautiful daughter of a neighboring king would be his wife, for a fine ship was being fitted out._

_The next morning the ship sailed into the harbor of a beautiful town belonging to the king whom the prince was going to visit. The church bells were ringing, and from the high towers sounded a flourish of trumpets; and soldiers, with flying colors and glittering bayonets, lined the rocks through which they passed. Every day was a festival; balls and entertainments followed one another._

_But the princess had not yet appeared. People said that she was being brought up and educated in a religious house, where she was learning every royal virtue. At last she came. Then the little mermaid, who was very anxious to see whether she was really beautiful, was obliged to acknowledge that she had never seen a more perfect vision of beauty. Her skin was delicately fair, and beneath her long dark eye-lashes her laughing blue eyes shone with truth and purity._

_"It was you," said the prince, "who saved my life when I lay dead on the beach," and he folded his blushing bride in his arms. "Oh, I am too happy," said he to the little mermaid; "my fondest hopes are all fulfilled. You will rejoice at my happiness; for your devotion to me is great and sincere."_

_The little mermaid kissed his hand, and felt as if her heart were already broken. His wedding morning would bring death to her, and she would change into the foam of the sea. All the church bells rung, and the heralds rode about the town proclaiming the betrothal. Perfumed oil was burning in costly silver lamps on every altar. The priests waved the censers, while the bride and bridegroom joined their hands and received the blessing of the bishop. The little mermaid, dressed in silk and gold, held up the bride's train; but her ears heard nothing of the festive music, and her eyes saw not the holy ceremony; she thought of the night of death which was coming to her, and of all she had lost in the world._

_When it grew dark a number of colored lamps were lit, and the sailors danced merrily on the deck. The little mermaid could not help thinking of her first rising out of the sea, when she had seen similar festivities and joys; and she joined in the dance, poised herself in the air as a swallow when he pursues his prey, and all present cheered her with wonder. She had never danced so elegantly before. Her tender feet felt as if cut with sharp knives, but she cared not for it; a sharper pang had pierced through her heart. She knew this was the last evening she should ever see the prince, for whom she had forsaken her kindred and her home; she had given up her beautiful voice, and suffered unheard-of pain daily for him, while he knew nothing of it. This was the last evening that she would breathe the same air with him, or gaze on the starry sky and the deep sea; an eternal night, without a thought or a dream, awaited her: she had no soul and now she could never win one._

The next day, I hummed softly as I stared into the mirror, smiling. Jacob had gone off to break it off with Bella, and finally, I would be happy. I would finally be with him. All of my hard work…all of my sacrifices, none of it was in vain. Yes, in a way, I did give my voice up for nothing. But on the other hand, I doubt Jacob would have made a move if I hadn't gone to Jane. _None of it matters now. _My smile grew. _I have him now. _Jacob Black and I were finally together. I couldn't wait to tell Rosalie the news. Just as I picked my phone up, Jacob walked through the door. I smiled up at him and rushed to hug him, but stopped. He looked so solemn. _Bella must have not taken it well…but why? The potion should have worked…_

I hesitantly glanced up at him once I was near him, and cupped his cheek. His eyes kept focused on the corner of my room, until I forced him to look at me. _"What's wrong?" _I mouthed.

"Well…it turns out that…" He closed his eyes and turned away from me, taking a few steps back. "She's pregnant. We didn't have sex, but we did get intimate…and I doubt she cheated on me."

_"Oh." _I stepped away from him towards my bed and fell down on it. I felt myself losing focus as tears started to disrupt my vision. _No…_

"And…well, she told Charlie." He sighed. "And he wants us to get married." He looked at me apologetically. "Even though she doesn't want to…she says she doesn't love me anymore…but she agrees with him. For the baby's sake."

_"Is that how you feel?" _I looked up at him, praying that he didn't. _Please. _I could feel my heart breaking as he hesitantly answered.

"It doesn't matter…my father was already informed of the situation. He's for it."

I shook my head slowly, bringing a hand to cover my mouth. _No. I was so…close…_The tears freely fell from my eyes. He stood there uncertainly. _"No." _I shook my head frantically. _"This isn't…" _I looked away from him. _It wasn't supposed to be like this._ _What you and I feel…it doesn't matter? You're going to marry her just for the sake of her child? A loveless marriage…_I closed my eyes and forced myself to face him. _"If that's how it must be…"_ I could feel the tears sliding down my cheeks, but I didn't bother to wipe them away. _"Go." _I pointed to my door and glared up at him.

"Edward-" He began, but I shook my head and pointed again. He sighed in defeat, looking at me one last time before leaving. He gently closed the door behind him, and then, only then, did I allow myself to completely break down. I slid off of my bed to the floor, curling myself up into a ball. I don't know how long I stayed like that, or when the crying stopped and the numbness seeped in. Only one thought remained in my mind, and that was how fate could be so cruel. _Jacob…_A sharp pang pierced my heart. _Why?_

I slowly pushed myself up. _So, I'm going to die after his marriage…the very next morning. _I didn't like the thought. _Should I spend it like this…? Being miserable?_ I dragged myself to my door, surprised to see a small note on the floor. I bent down to pick it up. I was a little upset to see it was from Jacob, but slightly happy that he cared enough to leave such a note. _He must've left it when he walked out the door…_I gently unfolded the piece of paper.

_Edward,_

_I know that you weren't going to take it well. I know it's my fault, and I'm sorry. I wish that we could be together…I really do. But there's no way around this. Financially, I can't pay child support. You know that. This really is the only way that'll work. After everything that happened yesterday…I really meant it all. I'm sorry if it seems that I'm jerking you around. I mean it. But…I want you to be my best man. I understand if you don't want to…but, it would mean everything to me. You'll move on. You'll find someone better than me. I know you will. Please, consider it._

_I'll always fucking love you. More than Bella, more than life itself._

_-Jacob_

Tear drops stained the paper and made the ink run as I read it over and over again. _No matter what I say…I know that I'll be his best man. _I wiped my hands over my eyes, drying the tears. I pulled out my phone slowly, carefully typing a message to Jacob.

_I'll be your best man…on the condition that you give me your love for one night. The night before you wedding…that's what I want. Please._ I hesitantly sent the message. I truly was afraid of his answer. When my phone finally rang back, I was surprised by his answer.

…_Of course. One night…that one night, and I'll be yours._

I didn't reply back, but instead placed my phone on my night stand. _It's not so selfish to ask him to do that one thing for me…is it? _I shook my head. _If I'm going to die, I should have at least this one pleasure. _I smiled at the thought, that I would die corrupted. So impure; tainted. _Fitting, for a creature like me._

**/\\**

The weeks flew by. My death was approaching. I made sure to spend time with my family: Emmett, Alice, Carlisle and Esme. I was sure that they knew how much I loved them. I was tying up all the loose ends with my friends, and did my best to do at least one good deed every day. I hadn't told Rosalie what had happened; I feared her reaction. However, rumors of the wedding were spreading like a wildfire around school, and I knew that Rosalie would catch wind of it. I knew I couldn't hold off this confrontation forever…but it would have been nice that for once in my life, things worked out for me. So, when she came storming down the hall, I knew better than to try to run away.

She harshly grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the school and into the parking lot, shoving me into her car and speeding off. After a few illegal turns, running three red lights, and a few middle fingers, she parked in front of her house. She huffed and walked out and into her house. I followed after quickly. She was already in a bad mood, and not complying with her silent commands would result in an even worse situation for me. I walked up the stairs to her lavish room, making myself comfortable on her bed. She stared at me, her lips forming a tight line, her eyes slightly narrowed. Her aura radiated venomous rage; and yet she still managed to look so beautiful.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked quietly, evenly. "Why did I have to find out through the whispers in the hallways?" I stared back her, refusing to answer her. "Answer me, Edward." She snapped.

_"I knew this is how you were going to react. I didn't want you to try to stop this marriage from happening." _I quickly typed on my phone. _"I just…I don't know."_

"Edward. You're going to die after his wedding, which is only a few weeks away." She yelled. "How are you going to explain that to your parents? Your siblings?" I could see the tears forming in her eyes. "How do you think I feel? Knowing just why you died, but being unable to help you, or even tell anyone else."

_"Rose-" _I began, but she cut me off.

"No. I'm going to get you out of it, no matter the price." She hissed. "We can't lose you—I can't lose you."

For the first time, I was seeing Rosalie cry. I didn't know how to respond. She was so strong; it was usually she that was comforting me. I slowly approached her, trying to embrace her, but she quickly slapped my hands away. I grabbed her hands and pulled her into me. For a while she tried to resist, but finally she gave up and sobbed into my chest. I rubbed her back in circles, resting my head on hers.

"Edward…we can't lose you." She whispered.

I nodded and clutched onto her tightly. _I'm so sorry. _I refused to cry. I was done mourning my loss. I wanted my last few weeks to be with me happy. With everyone around me happy. _Forgive me, please. I promise you'll get over it soon enough. _After a few moments I pulled her away from me, and smiled. _"Better?"_

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "Knowing my best friend is about to die?" She frowned. "I'll never be better…" She sighed.

I shook my head and pulled out my phone. _"You know that if I could never have his love, I'd never be happy anyway." _My heart hurt typing that. I did have his love. I always had…but, I had lost out to Bella. If there was one thing I could keep from Rosalie, this would be it. _"Really…it might take time, but I promise you'll be happy again. In fact, be happy for me. It really is for the best." _I smiled at her to reassure her. It didn't matter that on the inside I was breaking all over again. I needed to be strong for her, for everyone.

She sniffled, shaking her head. "I won't be happy…truly happy. Neither will Emmett, or Esme, Alice, or Carlisle. How do you think Jacob will feel?" Her anger was returning.

_"But he doesn't…" _I couldn't type the rest. _He would be devastated by my death…_

"You know he does." She said softly. "But if you're not going to fight for him, if you're going to let him take away your life…" She sighed. "Never mind. I'm taking you back to school now. She led me back to her car quickly. The whole ride back was in complete silence, sans the few sniffles here and there. This time, however, she obeyed the traffic laws and didn't flip anyone off. When we finally got back to the school, I hesitantly got out. Before I was completely out, she gripped my forearm.

"Edward…I promise, I will get you out of this." She said darkly. "No matter what it takes." And with that she sped off. I stared at after her curiously, a chill running down my spine. Just what did she mean?

**/\\**

It was the day before their wedding. I hadn't heard from Rosalie since our last little visit, and that had worried me. But I pushed that thought aside. _Tonight's the night. _It was my day. He would love me tonight. I would be his, if only for this one night. _Maybe tonight…maybe I'll be able to convince him that he won't be happy without me. _I zoned out as I put on my faded blue jeans and tight black shirt. _I wanted today…because this will make or break his relationship. _It truly was my last resort to get him. I had made sure to avoid him at all costs until today. He needed to see what it would be like without me. _He needs to get used to it. _Deep down inside, I knew that he would go through with the marriage. _I just want him. One moment of passion will be enough._

We were going to spend the night at my house. Carlisle was going to be working all through the night so he could make it to the wedding, Esme, along with Alice, was helping Bella prepare for her wedding and had planned her bachelorette party, so both would be gone until tomorrow. And Emmett had gone to spend the night with Rosalie. So, I sat in my living room, waiting for Jacob to walk through my front door. He had refused any bachelor party, and it was for my sake, even though many of his guy friends were disappointed. I doubted that he disclosed the reasons, but even so, I was glad that he was willing to do this for me.

My head snapped to the door as I heard it open slowly. He walked in, wearing his leather jacket and pants. I smiled at me, relief on written all over his face. He slowly made his way over to me, taking a seat next to me on the couch. We sat there in silence for a few moments, before he finally decided to speak.

"I'm so glad you're here. I thought that you hated me…" He wasn't staring at me. "I don't blame you, but-"

I effectively cut him off as I pressed my lips against his. He didn't bother to continue with his words, as our bodies crashed into each other. I allowed him dominance over me as we explored each other's bodies, breaking apart only to catch our breaths. I jerked my head upwards, and he got the picture. He scooped up my body and to my room, where he threw me on my bed. I was overwhelmed with the pleasure that coursed through my body as he attacked it, no part of my body being ignored. And even through the pain of it, the ultimate pleasure, and the sadness that over took me when I realized I could never feel this way again, one thought rang through my mind.

_I love you too, Jacob._

_Then all became still on board the ship; the helmsman, alone awake, stood at the helm. The little mermaid leaned her white arms on the edge of the vessel, and looked towards the east for the first blush of morning, for that first ray of dawn that would bring her death. She saw her sisters rising out of the flood: they were as pale as herself; but their long beautiful hair waved no more in the wind, and had been cut off._

_"We have given our hair to the witch," said they, "to obtain help for you, that you may not die to-night. She has given us a knife: here it is, see it is very sharp. Before the sun rises you must plunge it into the heart of the prince; when the warm blood falls upon your feet they will grow together again, and form into a fish's tail, and you will be once more a mermaid, and return to us to live out your three hundred years before you die and change into the salt sea foam. Haste, then; he or you must die before sunrise. Our old grandmother moans so for you, that her white hair is falling off from sorrow, as ours fell under the witch's scissors. Kill the prince and come back; hasten: do you not see the first red streaks in the sky? In a few minutes the sun will rise, and you must die." And then they sighed deeply and mournfully, and sank down beneath the waves._

We acted as if nothing had happened. He gave me a chaste kiss on the lips before he got out of bed, and dressed slowly. With a sorrowful glance he walked out of my room, like how I was about to walk out of his. As I thought, he was going to go through with the wedding. I didn't change his mind, and that was okay. Like he had promised, he truly loved me for one night. _Now, I can die. Everything's…complete. _My heart ached, no matter what I did to convince myself that I was okay with it. _Maybe it's Jane's spell…_I sighed, pulling myself out of bed. He had left over three hours ago. The wedding was in five hours, and my death would follow very soon after. I didn't have any time to be sorry for myself.

I showered in cold water, hoping that it would go past my body and into my soul, numbing it completely. _Such a silly thought. _I stayed there for a while before gently toweling myself off, wincing here and there. _At least he was my first and last. _I decided to get dressed up now, and save myself the trouble. _My last day on earth. _It was a sunny day in Forks. _Just like when I first met him…_I smiled at the memory. _I'll never see this again. _I saw a pair of birds dancing in the wind. _But, I'll be free…and so will he._

My door slammed open, and I half expected to see Jacob walking through it. Instead I found Rosalie standing there. In her hand was a black knife, a single ruby embedded in the center of the handle. _Like the color of blood…_I traveled up her arm and to her face, and let out a small gasp. Her long, blond hair had been cut short. Not as short as Alice's pixie cut, but a crude bob cut. I stared at her in confusion, but was met with steadfast determination.

"I traded my hair for this." She raised the dagger. "Isn't it sharp?" She asked quietly.

I was starting to fear her. _"Rosalie, I don't-"_

"Jane told me that he loves you." She growled. "That you knew he loved you, and that you gave up. She told me what happened last night…" She raised the blade to admire it in the light as I blushed. "And that was the final factor for me in deciding to get you help."

I shook my head in confusion. _"I don't understand."_

"This blade…" She paused and lowered it, instead opting to hold my gaze, "it can save you. Jacob is only marrying Bella out of obligation."

I paled. I could see where this was going, and I shook my head.

"And so, if Bella were to die…there would be no wedding. He would love you, and stay devoted to you. You wouldn't need to die."

_"Rosalie, you can't be serious!"_

"I am. The blade needs to be stabbed into her heart…but no evidence will be left behind. No one would know; anyone who saw anything, or suspected anything would forget. There's no need to worry…" She trailed off, still eyeing the blade. "But she needs to die before the wedding tonight. Otherwise your heart will break, and you will die."

_"I'm not going to kill her for my sake." _I mouthed quickly.

"Oh, I know you won't. You're too kind for that. But I'm not." She pushed me to my bed and pulled out a pair of hand cuffs, and bound me to my bed post. I was too exhausted and frail to fight against her from last night. "It's for the better. Trust me. You'll get over it." She locked the door and closed it behind her. "So no one comes looking for you in here!" She yelled through the door. "Don't worry, I'll come and get you after the deed's done." She laughed as she walked down the stairs.

I tried to break free, but it was no use.

**/\\**

Just as she promised, she was back. Not a trace of blood was on her, and no blade was on her person either. She gently un-cuffed me, whispering in my ear all the while.

"It was for the best."

I glared up at her, but I knew that I couldn't hate her. A part of me…a part that I was disgusted to acknowledge existed, was glad that she had done it.

"Jacob is all yours now."

**/\\**

Years had passed. No one but Rosalie and myself knew the truth of everything, of my missing tongue, and Bella's death. A tragic occurrence of events, a disturbed individual passing through Forks…but no one suspected either of us. I had Jacob now. He had been devastated by her death. Everyone had. But he had moved on, back to me. No matter how many times I went to her grave, no matter how many times I prayed for forgiveness, I still felt uneasy. I waited for fate to strike back. I waited for evidence to arise that linked me to her murder. But it never came.

We were together now. He was finally mine. But the guilt never went away.

Yeah, I wanted to give the story a twist. It was a little rushed, I admit it. But, this is the best it's going to be for now. When I have more time, I promise I'll come back to this story and edit it. But, tell me, what do you think of it?


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